(Washington) - The United States Helsinki Commission will hold a public briefing with Carla del Ponte, Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), concerning the status of efforts to serve justice on those accused of war crimes under the leadership of Slobodan Milosevic.

The worst atrocities committed in Europe since the Holocaust took place in the region of former Yugoslavia during the 1990s, eventually compelling international intervention which continues to this day. Among the responses was the establishment in May 1993 of a tribunal - the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia – located in The Hague, The Netherlands, to prosecute those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Leading this effort since September 1999 has been Swiss Prosecutor Carla del Ponte.

The prosecutor will discuss the latest developments in the Milosevic and other trials and concerns regarding at-large indicted individuals in the region, including those linked to the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, as well as access to witnesses and information needed to prosecute cases. Ms. del Ponte may also address the prospects for completing the Tribunal’s work by 2008 and issues relating to the transfer of some existing and future cases to domestic courts in the region for trial.

An un-official transcript will be available on the Helsinki Commission’s Internet web site at http://www.csce.gov within 24 hours of the briefing.

The United States Helsinki Commission, an independent federal agency, by law monitors and encourages progress in implementing provisions of the Helsinki Accords. The Commission, created in 1976, is composed of nine Senators, nine Representatives and one official each from the Departments of State, Defense and Commerce.